The Art Of Happiness Is Loving Yourself
I remember my grandmother used to tell me “one man’s meat is another man’s poison”. As I was still a young boy back then, I didn’t really understand what she was trying to tell me. But through the experiences accumulated in the last ten years from both the corporate world (when I was still an employee) and now as an entrepreneur, I can finally come to terms with it.
Society in particular is so good at labeling and pigeon-holing people that you are either a size 0, S, M, L, XL, or XXL…Of course everyone wants to be a size S or M….who in the right frame of mind would love to be size L or even XL?
And this is the crux of the matter.
While some on the heavier end of the scale look for quick-fix methods to slim down (at the risk of jeopardising their health) as they look with envy at their feather-weight counterparts, they seem to have forgotten that everyone is uniquely different. Instead of wanting to conform to societal norms and proving them right, why not hold on to your ideals and continue being yourself?
Everyone has different perceptions of what is attractive and what is not. After all, not all men love size 0 girls. I personally know of some friends who have bucked the trend and married plump girls. And not all size S girls go for stick-thin men too. They would rather choose a burly guy for an added sense of security. Who knows if the stick-thin man would get blown away should a strong wind blow?
Jokes aside, this observation is true. Exercise at least three times a week you still must but rather than forcing yourself to be someone else and in the process, depriving yourself of life’s simple pleasures is just not worth it.
For this reason alone, that’s why I never advocate my clients to go on a diet. Just think about it – the word ‘diet’ itself already carries with it negative connotations that you are destined to have to starve and not eat anything for the next x number of months. Singapore is a food paradise. We are blessed that some of the eateries, food joints and hawker centres are even open 24/7. Our biggest challenge is not having nothing to eat but deciding what to eat! And if I were to get you to starve, your very existence on earth would be totally miserable…
Happiness is like a fleeting butterfly. The more one pursues it, the further away it flies from you. That’s why so many of us are never happy as we are always chasing after happiness as if it is a never-ending destination. Do you have to be a size S to be truly happy? No, you don’t have to.
Having said that, you should still have some tweaks to your current lifestyle if you find room for improvement. But before that, you should practise the art of happiness by accepting who you are and loving the way you are now. Then only with a long-term plan (who ever said you could do a Biggest Loser and lose more than 1kg weight per week should be shot in the head as this is totally unsustainable and hazardous to health) can you proceed to unveil a more confident, beautiful you.
Talk to me if you need to. I would love to hear from you 🙂
P.S. I am happy being who I am. I know deep down inside no amounts of gym work nor protein shakes will turn me into the next Arnold Schwarzenegger…unless I inject myself with steroids and growth hormones but God forbid! Instead, I am content having attained a lean, toned beach body as this is more in line with the Asian physique.